Lang Lang

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Nov 1, 2011 ... Lang's commitment to fostering the talents of young musicians has strengthened his reputaon as a leading ..... Golden Globe® winning score “The Painted Veil” composed .... key is released, a felt pad called a damper drops.
SchoolTime Study Guide

Lang Lang Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 11 a.m. Zellerbach Hall, University of California, Berkeley

Welcome to SchoolTime On Tuesday, November 1, at 11am in Cal Performances’ Zellerbach Hall, your class will a end a performance featuring virtuoso pianist Lang Lang, and Anna Larsen, a talented young scholar from the Lang Lang Founda on. A prodigy of the piano, the 29-year-old Lang Lang started his concert career at age five and has since electrified audiences in every major city in the world. Students may remember his performance during Beijing’s opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games, viewed by millions of people around the world. In addi on to being an ar st of uncommon depth and maturity, Lang Lang’s commitment to fostering the talents of young musicians has strengthened his reputa on as a leading ambassador of music around the world.

Using This Study Guide You can use these materials to engage your students and enrich their Cal Performances field trip. Before a ending the performance, we encourage you to: • Copy the Student Resource Sheet on pages 2 & 3 and give it to your students several days before the show. • Discuss the informa on on pages 4-7 About the Performance & Ar sts with your students. • Read to your students from About the Piano on pages 8-11 and Featured Composers on pages 12-13. • Engage your students in two or more Ac vi es on page 14. • Reflect with your students by asking them Guiding Ques ons, found on pages 2, 4, 8 and 12. • Immerse students further into the subject ma er and art form by using the Addi onal Resources and Glossary on pages 15-18.

At the performance: Your class can ac vely par cipate during the performance by: • Listening carefully to the melodies, harmonies, tempo and rhythms of the music • No cing the mood or atmosphere created in each composer’s work • Thinking of ques ons to ask Lang Lang • Marvelling at the technical skill of the musicians • Reflec ng on the sounds, sights, and performance skills you experience at the theater. We look forward to seeing you at SchoolTime!

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Table of Contents

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Theater E que e

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Student Resource Sheet

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About the Performance and Ar sts

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About the Piano

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About the Featured Composers

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Learning Ac vi es & Resources

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Glossary

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California State Standards

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About SchoolTime

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1 Theater Etiquette Be prepared and arrive early. Ideally you should arrive at the theater 30 to 45 minutes before the show. Allow for travel me and parking, and plan to be in your seats at least 15 minutes before the performance begins.

Be aware and remain quiet. The theater is a “live” space—you can hear the performers easily, but they can also hear you, and you can hear other audience members, too! Even the smallest sounds, like rustling papers and whispering, can be heard throughout the theater, so it’s best to stay quiet so that everyone can enjoy the performance without distrac ons. The interna onal sign for “Quiet Please” is to silently raise your index finger to your lips. Show apprecia on by applauding.

Applause is the best way to show your enthusiasm and apprecia on. Performers return their apprecia on for your a en on by bowing to the audience at the end of the show. It is always appropriate to applaud at the end of a performance, and it is customary to con nue clapping un l the curtain comes down or the house lights come up.

Par cipate by responding to the ac on onstage.

Some mes during a performance, you may respond by laughing, crying or sighing. By all means, feel free to do so! Apprecia on can be shown in many different ways, depending upon the art form. For instance, an audience a ending a string quartet performance will sit very quietly, while the audience at a gospel concert may be inspired to par cipate by clapping and shou ng.

Concentrate to help the performers.

These ar sts use concentra on to focus their energy while on stage. If the audience is focused while watching the performance, they feel supported and are able to do their best work. They can feel that you are with them!

Please note:

Backpacks and lunches are not permi ed in the theater. Bags will be provided for lobby storage in the event that you bring these with you. There is absolutely no food or drink permi ed in the sea ng areas. Recording devices of any kind, including cameras, cannot be used during performances. Please remember to turn off your cell phone.

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Student Resource Sheet Lang Lang

Ques ons to Think About • What are some of Lang Lang’s achievements? • How does the piano work? • What do the three featured composers have in common? with nearly every major American and European orchestra and is considered one of the finest pianists on the planet. Lang Lang has mo vated over 40 million Chinese children to learn to play classical piano. For almost 10 years, he has mentored young pianists, brought together young musicians in concert, and performed for children in remote communi es and hospitals as well as for charity events. Recently, he started the Lang Lang Interna onal Music Founda on which is commi ed to children and music educa on. The Founda on’s goal is inspire young people to believe that music can make life be er.

About Anna Larsen What You Will See & Hear Classical pianist Lang Lang, and Anna Larsen, a scholar of the Lang Lang Interna onal Music Founda on, will play the music of Franz Lizst, Frédéric Chopin and Claude Debussy – three composers who wrote beau ful music for solo piano.

About Lang Lang Lang Lang began playing the piano at the age of three and by five he had won a piano compe on in his home city of Shenyang in China. At 17, Lang Lang became an overnight sensa on when he performed as a last-minute subs tute with the Chicago Symphony. His performance in the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing (an event seen by over five billion people) further boosted his interna onal fame. Now at age 29, Lang Lang has played

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Anna Larsen joined the Lang Lang Founda on’s Young Scholars Program in 2008. She is eleven years old and lives in Boston, Massachuse s. Anna was singing songs in tune when she was one and a half, and began learning to play the piano from her father at three. She started formal lessons at four and began composing at five. From a very young age, Anna could read music and hear in her head how it would sound. She also hears music this way when she’s composing, and she’s able to play it and write it down immediately, as easily as most people read or write words. Anna looks forward to growing as a composer, recording ar st and concert pianist for the Lang Lang Founda on.

About the Piano

About the Composers

A piano is a large musical instrument made up of a keyboard fixed to a wooden case that contains metal wires stretched across a frame. The first piano was invented in Florence, Italy in 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori. The word piano comes from the Italian word pianoforte. The musical terms “piano” and “forte” mean “quiet” and “loud,” because the piano can make so or noisy sounds depending on how hard a pianist touches the keys.

The works you will hear performed by Lang Lang and Anna Larsen are by composers who were famous pianists themselves. They composed some of the most technically difficult pieces a concert pianist can play.

The piano is played by pressing the keys, each of which is a ached to a small hammer that strikes one or more of the wires to sound a note. The piano has 36 black keys and 52 white keys – a total of 88 keys. At the base of a piano are pedals, foot-operated levers, which change the instrument’s sound in various ways. In its more than 300-year history, composers have wri en many pieces for the piano. Today pianists can choose from a wide variety of styles including classical, jazz and all sorts of popular music.

Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886) In his me, the composer, conductor, cri c and teacher, Franz Liszt, was best known as a pianist. He is credited with inven ng the solo recital, and he amazed audiences with his incredible technique and showmanship. Liszt primarily wrote music for the piano and created a new form– the symphonic poem. Also called a tone poem, a symphonic poem is a piece of music that draws on a poem, story, pain ng, idea or other non-musical subject. Liszt also wrote music cri cism and was known as a conductor and teacher who trained many musicians and composers.

Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) Born near Warsaw, Poland in 1810, Chopin began composing at the age of six and gave his first concert at eight. A er early fame in his na ve country, he went to Paris where he became well-known as a pianist and piano teacher. Chopin developed new forms of piano music and most of his works are for solo piano. An instrument of wide dynamic range, the piano was ideal for showcasing the expressiveness of his work. Chopin’s composi ons are considered of great musical and technical importance for their ar stry and originality, and his music inspired many of the composers who came a er him.

Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) Claude Debussy was born in Paris, and started studying at the Paris Conservatory when he was only ten. As a child, Debussy was fascinated by visual art, and as he grew up, he loved the new style called “Impressionism.” Instead of pain ng realis c, lifelike pain ngs with hard outlines, Impressionists used dabs in many different shades of color to create the “impression” of what they wanted to depict. Debussy took that idea and applied it to his composi ons, crea ng Impressionism in music.

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About the Performance & Artists Lang Lang Circus Oz

Guiding Ques ons: • Describe the “Lang Lang effect.” • What are the goals of the Lang Lang Interna onal Music Founda on? • What does Anna Larsen hope to do as she grows up? • Which composers will the pianists play?

The SchoolTime Performance

About the Ar sts Lang Lang

Liszt and Chopin Performed by Lang Lang Mephisto Waltz # 1 by Franz Liszt Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy Performed by Lang Lang FoundaƟon scholar, Anna Larsen Q&A with Lang Lang Closing piece performed by Lang Lang

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Heralded as the “ho est ar st on the classical music planet” by the New York Times, 29 year-old Lang Lang has played to full capacity audiences in major ci es worldwide. He is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic and all the top American orchestras.

Early Life Lang Lang began playing piano at the age of three. By the age of five he had won the Shenyang Piano Compe on and had given his first public recital. Entering Beijing’s Central Music Conservatory at age nine, he won first prize at the Tchaikovsky Interna onal Young Musicians Compe on and played the complete 24 Chopin Études at the Beijing Concert Hall at age 13.

Lang Lang has played all over the world. This map shows a few of the ci es where he has performed.

Lang Lang became an instant star at 17, when he was called upon for a drama c, last-minute subs tu on at the “Gala of the Century,” where he played a Tchaikovsky concerto with the Chicago Symphony. Following this acclaimed debut, he performed successful concerts around the world.

the World Economic Forum and received the 2010 Crystal Award in Davos. In May 2011, Lang Lang received Honorary Doctorate of Music from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at the Royal College of Music.

Recordings & Awards

Tens of thousands of people have enjoyed Lang Lang’s performances in concerts in parks and venues around the globe, including guest appearances at the World Cup Games and the Euro Cup finals.

All Lang Lang’s albums have entered the top classical charts as well as many pop charts around the globe. He appeared on Billboard’s New Ar st chart at the highest posi on ever for a classical ar st. In 2007, he was the first Chinese ar st ever nominated for a Grammy® Award as Best Instrumental Soloist. His album of the First and Fourth Beethoven Piano concertos with L’Orchestre de Paris and Maestro Christoph Eschenbach debuted at #1 on the Classical Billboard Chart. Lang Lang is the featured soloist on the Golden Globe® winning score “The Painted Veil” composed by Alexandre Desplat. He recorded the movie soundtrack of the Japanese blockbuster film “Nodame Cantabile”and “Nuit De Mai” with tenor Placido Domingo; and performed the opening sequence for the video game Gran Turismo. Lang Lang currently serves on the Weill Music Ins tute Advisory Commi ee at Carnegie Hall and is the youngest member of Carnegie Hall’s Ar s c Advisory Board. He has been added as one of the 250 Young Global Leaders picked by

Worldwide Popularity

Over five billion people viewed Lang Lang’s performance in Beijing’s opening ceremony for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2008, where he was seen as a symbol of the youth and the future of China. This has inspired over 40 million Chinese children to learn to play classical piano – a phenomenon coined by The Today Show as “the Lang Lang effect.” In 2010, he was chosen as an official worldwide ambassador to the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Lang Lang has been featured on television and in news and lifestyle magazines worldwide. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as the “biggest, most exci ng keyboard talent encountered in many years,” he has progressed from one triumphant appearance to the next. In 2009, he was included in Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 Most Influen al People in the World.

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Inspiring Young People For nearly a decade, Lang Lang has given back to children: mentoring rising young talented pianists; convening 100 piano students in concert; performing for sick children in hospitals; delivering classical music recitals in underserved and remote communi es; and dona ng his musical talents to raise awareness of other charitable causes. The Lang Lang Interna onal Music Founda on was founded to inspire the next genera on of classical music lovers and performers by cul va ng tomorrow’s top pianists, championing music educa on at the forefront of technology, and building a young audience through live music experiences. Lang Lang works with excep onal partners to inspire young people to believe that music can make life be er. In May 2009, Lang Lang and three young scholars from the founda on – aged from 6 to 10 years old – performed together on The Oprah Winfrey Show on “Oprah’s Search for the World’s Most Smartest and Most Talented Kids.” As he noted a er the Founda on launch event, “I have taken on a second Lang Lang with Anna Larsen, one of his Young Scholars. career!” Lang Lang gives master classes throughout the world at the invita on of pres gious music ins tu ons, including the Cur s Ins tute of Music, Juilliard School, Manha an School of Music and Hanover Conservatory, as well as conservatories in China where he holds honorary professorships. As first Ambassador of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, a groundbreaking project created by YouTube and Google, Lang Lang expresses his devo on to building new audiences and bringing classical music to young people worldwide. Lang Lang’s biography, Journey of a Thousand Miles, published by Random House in eleven languages, was released to cri cal acclaim in 2009. He also released a version of his autobiography specifically for younger readers, en tled Playing with Flying Keys.

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Musical Ambassador Lang Lang has become the face of numerous global campaigns. Steinway created five versions of the “Lang Lang™ Steinway” designed for early music educa on. He is also a global brand ambassador for Sony Electronics. In 2007, Lang Lang was guest soloist at the Nobel Prize concert in Stockholm, an event a ended by Nobel Laureates and members of the Royal Family. He returned in 2009, when the Nobel recipients included President Barack Obama. In 2004, Lang Lang was appointed Interna onal Goodwill Ambassador to the United Na ons Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Lang Lang has contributed and worked to raise funds and awareness for earthquake relief efforts in China and Hai .

Anna Larsen Eleven-year old Anna Larsen is a na ve of Boston MA, and a sixth grader. She was born with innate perfect pitch, which is the ability to name any note or any combina on of notes. For her, there has always been an unusually strong connec on between language arts and music.

Early Talents From a very young age, Anna’s musical intui on enabled her to read music and internally experience how it would sound. Similarly, when composing, she hears the music in her head and can immediately play it on the piano or write it down on paper in much the same way most people read and write. Anna was singing songs in tune by the age of one and a half, and started on the piano when she was three, learning from her father. She began formal lessons at four at the Suzuki School of Newton, Massachuse s. She started composing when she was five, and now composes regularly.

Performing When Anna was eight, she moved to the preparatory school at the New England Conservatory, studying first with Angel Ramon Rivera and now with Professor Hung Kuan Chen and Tema Blackstone. In 2008, she received a scholarship from the Lang Lang Founda on

together with Charlie Liu and Derek Wang. They have played exci ng collabora ve works on the Oprah show, at Carnegie Hall in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, and in Mack Wilberg’s “Carmen Fantasy” at Carnegie Hall and Segerstrom Hall (2009). Anna loves playing in groups and making friends through music, and was thrilled to play in these renowned venues. Anna has studied a wide repertoire and has always been drawn to challenging material, performing Chopin’s daun ng “Winter Wind Etude” in public when she was eight years old. In 2010, she recorded her first album featuring all 24 preludes and fugues from Bach’s “Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1”. Anna especially enjoys playing collabora ve music with her friends, including the other Lang Lang scholars and her chamber group, as well as partnering with violin or cello for duets.

Composing Anna has been recognized in several na onal compe ons for her original composi ons. In May 2011, she was one of the youngest to receive the pres gious ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Founda on Morton Gould Young Composer Award for her first original symphony. She has been mentored in composi on by Alla Cohen at the New England Conservatory since 2008. Influenced by the masters she has studied, she explores the crea ve synthesis of form, structure, thema c material, tonal plan, modula on, development, color, mbre, and rhythm. She recently completed a set of Symphonic Etudes, which she is orchestra ng into her first symphony. Anna’s “second instrument” is voice and she has sung in a few venues. The ac ve study of voice and breath amplifies her crea vity and interpreta on as an ar st. Anna hopes to leave behind many original, enduring, and inspiring master composi ons for both musicians and non-musicians to enjoy in genera ons to come. She enjoys the freedom of composing original music and performing for audiences, and hopes her career will include composing and conduc ng symphonies and concertos for her own outstanding orchestra. Anna looks forward to growing as a composer, recording ar st, and concert pianist of the Lang Lang founda on. Outside of music, Anna loves swimming, ska ng, reading, wri ng and drawing cartoons.

What I love about music:

“Music has been a part of me for as long as I can remember—and it is comfor ng, inspiring, and fascina ng. When I am not at the piano or composing, there has almost never been a me when music has not been playing in my head. To me, music is much more powerful than any language, it is two voices, God’s voice and the musician’s.” How it feels to play piano with Lang Lang:

“The best part of playing piano with Lang Lang is savoring and imita ng the enthusias c charm of his performance. One of the things I have learned from him is to not be afraid of being passionate and expressing however you feel through the piece, but also not playing too indulgently...” -Anna Larsen

Anna Larsen

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About the Piano Circus Performance

Guiding Ques ons: • What kind of instrument is the piano? • How did the piano grow in popularity? • What styles of music are performed on the piano?

Piano Basics Adapted from the website The Piano EducaƟon Page

What is a piano? A piano is a large musical instrument consis ng of a keyboard affixed to a wooden case containing metal wires stretched across a frame. It is played by pressing the keys, each of which is a ached to a small hammer that strikes one or more of the wires to sound a note. Almost every modern piano has 36 black keys and 52 white keys for a total of 88 keys. At the base of a piano are pedals – foot-operated levers which change the instrument’s sound in various ways.

Is the piano a string instrument or a percussion instrument? The piano is really a “hybrid”--a combina on of two types. It’s a string instrument because the musical tones originate in the strings; and it’s also a percussion instrument, because the strings are set into vibra on by being struck with hammers. To be historically correct, it’s classified as a “keyed zither” by musicologists.

What types of piano are there? There are two basic types: Grand pianos have their strings and soundboard parallel to the floor, and Ver cals (or Uprights) have the strings and soundboard turned upwards perpendicular to the floor. Both types come in different sizes and styles. Grand pianos range from four and a half to nine and a half feet long. Different upright styles can be 52 or more inches high; 45 inches (“studio uprights”); 40-42 inches (“consoles”); and as low as 36-38 inches (“spinets”).

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Ver cal Piano

Grand Piano

How does the piano create sound? When a key is pressed, a mechanism inside (the ac on) makes a hammer go up (in a grand) or forward (in an upright) to strike the strings. The hammer is a round s ck with a head on it (it looks something like a real hammer), and it is covered with dense wool felt. The vibra on of the string makes a musical sound, which is amplified by its connec on to a large soundboard that makes the note much louder than the string could do by itself. When the key is released, a felt pad called a damper drops back onto the string and stops the sound. When the player presses the right pedal, all the dampers rise to allow the strings to keep sounding.

A Brief History of the Piano Adapted from the website Piano Notes

InvenƟon of the Piano The first piano was invented in Florence, Italy in 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655 – 1731), a cra sman who repaired harpsichords for Italy’s royal court. Cristofori’s inven on was a simple keyboard that he called a gravecembalo col piano et forte, “keyboard instrument with so and loud,” named for the strings that produced different dynamic levels upon vibra ng when struck by small wooden hammers covered with deerskin. Cristofori experimented with the instrument’s design throughout the years, and the instrument grew popularity among the upper class. By 1730 pianos were purchased and played by the most elite Europeans.

Sheet music from “The Star-Spangled Banner,” wri en in 1814 by Francis Sco Key and composed by John Stafford Smith in 1780.

Growth in Popularity Although s ll expensive, pianos were made smaller by the 1760s so that wealthy families could own them in their homes. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791), a pianist prodigy, was born into such a home. At four years old he began touring Europe, giving concerts alongside his musically talented family. By 1770, the piano had reached America by way of German immigrant John Behrent, a piano maker. Most American songs at that me related to the American Revolu on, involving lively melodies to evoke the war and the colonists’ figh ng spirit. During and a er Ludwig van Beethoven’s me (1770 – 1827), the piano grew to have more keys, thus increasing its range of size and sound. To create more depth in its dynamics, piano makers began designing the instrument out of iron for a louder effect. The piano was soon incorporated into orchestras, which very quickly became a popular source of entertainment, promp ng larger concert halls to be built.

Famous Pianists

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Many pianists gained popularity paralleling the rock stars of today, and their performances o en induced audiences to weep and shower the stage with flowers. The Hungarian pianist, Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886), was one such musician. Bucking the tradi on of orchestral performances, he introduced the solo piano performance and wrote more than 600 pieces. Polish pianist Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849), was another favorite performer who also gave private lessons to the elite of Paris. In America, Louis Moreau Go schalk (1829 – 1869) of New Orleans became known interna onally for his “tremolo” technique, which involves rapidly playing one note or alterna ng quickly between two or more. SchoolTime Lang Lang

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Women & the Piano In the 19th century, women were o en shunned for playing the piano in public, but there were a few excep ons. Parisian Marie Moke Pleyel (1811 – 1875) performed in Europe and Russia and her talent impressed both Liszt and Chopin. Clara Wieck Schumann, who began playing piano at the age of nine, made an even bigger name for herself upon marrying German composer Robert Marie Moke Pleyel Schumann and performing his works. Although public performances by women pianists were frowned upon, women were s ll expected to play the piano at home and teach their children how to play. As a result, many American women worked as piano instructors. In Germany and Australia, pianos were even built into sewing tables, allowing women to conveniently prac ce both “womanly” tasks.

Sewing machine with built in piano from Austria at the Music Instrument Museum in Berlin.

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Piano lessons were encouraged from a young age, and many women worked as piano instructors.

EvoluƟon of the Piano Handmade pianos had been cra ed in different shapes and sizes around the world to accommodate a variety of middle-class homes and tastes; they were o en square-shaped in America and curvier in Germany and Austria. However, with the Industrial Revolu on came the birth of piano factories, which eliminated handmade pianos and adopted a more standard design for the instrument. Companies like Bechstein s ll operate today, and Boston’s Chickering & Sons, which was America’s leading piano maker in the 1850s, con nued making pianos un l the 1980s. Another manufacturer, Steinway & Sons, used crea ve techniques to prosper, such as sponsoring piano tours, building concert halls and crea ng a town for its employees complete with homes, educa on and religious services. Taking piano lessons was a popular pas me in the late 1800s and early 20th century, especially among children. Serious students o en went to study in Europe and ac vely par cipated in community recitals and church choirs. Piano prices dropped so that most families could afford the instrument, and piano and sheet music sales flourished through traveling salesmen and mail order businesses.

Mary Lou Williams

Duke Ellington

Darmouth College Gospel Choir

The Piano in the 20th Century & Beyond In the 1900s, African-American musicians developed new styles of playing the piano, first rag me and then jazz, music which also inspired new dances. Famous ar sts such as Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington and Mary Lou Williams emerged to shape the new music movement. The piano was also incorporated into gospel music to inspire religious feelings and encourage musical par cipa on.

Classical pianists usually start playing piano at a very young age. Many well-known classical composers were virtuoso pianists, including:

A self-playing piano, called the player piano was invented in the early 1900s. These pianos played automa cally when someone pumped the pedals, allowing families to sing along with piano tunes. Player pianos actually outsold regular pianos un l the sales of both plummeted during the Great Depression of the 1930s. During that me, piano companies manufactured gliders and coffins just to stay in business.

Johannes Brahms

Ludwig van Beethoven

Frédéric Chopin Claude Debussy Franz Liszt Felix Mendelssohn

In the years to follow, Asia became the primary builder of pianos. Companies such as Yamaha in Japan became leading producers, offering electronic keyboards and electric pianos. These days pianos have gone digital with computer so ware that aids in composing, transposing and performing music.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sergei Prokofiev Leonard Bernstein

With over 300 years of history, the piano con nues to thrive. An expressive, dynamic and nuanced instrument, the piano is used in most forms of Western music and consequently, pianists have a wide variety of repertoire and styles to choose from, including jazz, and all sorts of popular music. Today, with gi ed pianists like Lang Lang enchan ng enthusias c new audiences and inspiring young pianists and composers, the art form’s popularity seems ensured for years to come.

Sergei Rachmaninoff Dmitri Shostakovich

Beethoven

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About the Featured Composers

Guiding Ques ons: • What is a symphonic poem? • Name some of the forms of music Chopin composed. • What is Impressionism and how did it inspire Debussy?

Featured Composers Lang Lang and Anna Larsen will perform music by Liszt, Chopin and Debussy, three of the most cherished composers in history. All virtuoso pianists, these composers created magnificent and visionary works that are also excep onally technically demanding.

FRANZ LISZT

(1811 - 1886)

Liszt was born in Hungary in 1811 and moved as a child to Vienna, where he took piano lessons from the Austrian pianist and composer Carl Czerny and composi on lessons from the Vene an composer and conductor Antonio Salieri. In 1823, Liszt moved with his family to Paris, from where he toured as a pianist. Inspired by the phenomenal Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini, Liszt set to mastering all aspects of piano technique and solo performance to become as great a virtuoso on the piano. A er se ling in Weimar in 1848 as “Director of Music Extraordinary,” Lizst turned his a en on to composi on, par cularly to crea ng a new form – the symphonic poem. Also called “tone poems,” this orchestral music evokes or refers to something other than music, like a poem, story, pain ng or idea. Liszt’s symphonic poems met strong cri cism from champions of pure music, who took excep on to his a empts to translate great works of literature into musical terms. However, the form inspired later composers: Antonín Dvořák, Richard Strauss, Claude Debussy and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, to name a few. A noted teacher, Liszt mentored many of

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the next genera on’s talented composers and musicians. He died in 1886, famed as a brilliant pianist and composer who set a course for a new direc on in music. Liszt’s many works include piano concertos, an innova ve sonata, a Totentanz (‘Dance of Death’), the four Mephisto Waltzes, and a Fantasy on Hungarian Folk-Melodies. The Hungarian Rhapsodies, a set of 19 pieces, are based on music made popular by Gypsy musicians in Hungary. In addi on to his original piano music, Liszt made transcrip ons of other composers’ work and wrote pieces based on na onal and religious themes.

Franz Lizst

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN

(1810 - 1849)

Born near Warsaw in 1810, Chopin began composing at the age of six and gave his first concert at the age of eight. A er winning early fame in his na ve country, he sought his fortune in Paris where he established himself as a pianist and piano teacher.

CLAUDE DEBUSSY

(1862 - 1918)

Claude Debussy influenced genera ons of composers in his na ve France and beyond. He was 10 when he began his training at the Paris Conservatoire, where he decided on a career as a composer rather than as a pianist. Debussy was fascinated with visual art even as a child and greatly admired the new pain ng style called “Impressionism.” Instead of pain ng realis c, lifelike pain ngs with hard outlines, Impressionists used thousands of dabs, or many different shades of color to create the “impression” of what they wanted to depict. Debussy took that idea and applied it to his composi ons, crea ng impressionism in music.

Chopin developed a number of new forms of piano music and the majority of his works are for solo piano. The piano was the ideal instrument to showcase his poe c and technically challenging pieces. His composi ons u lize the piano’s ability to convey nuance, original harmonies and expressive depth. He wrote waltzes, of which the “Minute Waltz” is probably the most familiar. The Polish dance, the Polonaise, elevated from village to ballroom, was the basis of another characteris c form. Chopin wrote sixteen Polonaises between 1817 (when he was seven years old) and 1846. He used another Polish dance form for his 62 Mazurkas. Chopin wrote 26 Preludes and 27 Études, of which the “Revolu onary Study” is perhaps the best known. His oeuvre (body of work) also includes four Scherzos, three Sonatas, four Impromptus and a number of other works. Chopin’s composi ons are considered of great musical and technical importance and his music inspired many of the composers who came a er him.

“Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune” (‘Prelude to the A ernoon of a Faun’) based on a work by symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé, and “La Mer” (‘The Sea’), which evokes the sea and the dialogue between wind and waves.

Debussy composed a great deal of piano music of which the “Deux Arabesques” and the “Suite bergamasque,” with its popular “Clair de lune” are probably the most wellknown. His noted orchestral music includes the Claude Debussy

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Learning Activities

Music Apprecia on / Literacy (Grades 2-12) Music-inspired WriƟng Several composi ons by Liszt and Debussy allude to literature or other works of art. For example, Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” (meaning moonlight) was inspired by Paul Verlaine’s poem of the same name. In this ac vity, students will take inspira on from music to create a poem or story. • Play Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” Liszt’s “Mephisto Waltz No. 1” or Chopin’s “Nocturne 27 no. 2” for your students. Videos of piano performances can be found on YouTube. • Play the piece again (students may close their eyes) and ask students to note any images, feelings or even narra ves that come to mind as they hear the melodies. A er the piece is over, students should write down as many images, feelings, etc. as they remember. • Play the piece one more me and ask students to write down any descrip ve or ac on words suggested by the music. • Using as prompts the words and descrip ons they wrote in response to the music, ask students to write a poem, descrip ve passage or short story.

Music / Visual Art (Grades K-12) Pictures to Music Debussy’s “La Mer” (The Sea) suggests the ocean’s waves and the Aquarium sec on of Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals” conjures up images of graceful and mysterious sea creatures. • Play either of the pieces noted above or another evoca ve classical music piece. • As the music is playing, ask students to look at photos, pain ngs or other visual art work of the sea, rivers or water. They should try to observe as much as they can, without comment, ques ons or other talk. • A er the music has stopped, ask students to describe what they observed in one of the pictures. They should think about what they actually see with their eyes, not what they see in their mind’s eye. Write observa ons on the board. • Next, ask students what they wonder about from the picture. (Let students be as wildly imagina ve as they like.) Write these wonderings down on the board. • Using paint, crayons or markers, ask students to create their own visual art work about the sea (or other body of water.) • In groups of four or five, ask students to choose one of their works. If you have instruments, give each student an instrument, if not they can use their voices. • Ask the students to recreate elements of the picture through sounds. Depending upon what their sound is represen ng, they should consider if their sound is loud or so , high or low, fast or slow. • Have students decide how their group wants to present their sounds, for example, one a er the other, in unison tapering off at the end, performed like a musical round, in call and response, as echoes, etc. • Ask groups to perform their soundscapes for one another. A erwards, reflect together on what it was like for the students to create, perform and experience the soundscapes. 14 |

Addi onal Resources Lang Lang: h p://www.langlang.com/ Anna Larsen: h p://annalarsenmusic.com/ Video Clips Lang Lang h p://www.langlang.com/us/videos (performance, interviews and master classes.) h p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UasdNz226LI (Chopin’s Etude No. 3, Op. 10 in E major) h p://vodpod.com/watch/2304629-lang-lang-plays-franz-liszt (Liebestraum No.3 in A Flat Minor) Anna Larsen h p://www.youtube.com/user/LarsenPiano h p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9cYcMD3J0M&feature=related (lesson with Lang Lang)

Books Lang Lang. Journey of a Thousand Miles: My Story. Spiegel & Grau, 2008. Isacoff, Stuart. A Natural History of the Piano: The Instrument, the Music, the Musicians--from Mozart to Modern Jazz and Everything in Between. Knopf, 2011.

Children’s Books Lang Lang. Playing with Flying Keys. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2008. Blocksma, Mary. The Marvelous Music Machine: The Story of the Piano. Pren ce Hall, 1984 Healy, Nick. The Piano (What in the World). Crea ve Educa on, 2005 Cence , Greta Chopin. Brighter Child, 2001. Venezia, Mike. Frederic Chopin (Ge ng to Know the World’s Greatest Composers). Children’s Press, 2000. Thompson, Wendy. Claude Debussy (Composer’s World). Faber & Faber, 1998. Whi ng, Jim. The Life and Times of Franz Liszt (Masters of Music: The World’s Greatest Composers). Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2004.

DVDs “Lang Lang Live in Vienna” (2010) “Lang Lang: Live at Carnegie Hall” (2003)

Music Lang Lang “Liszt: My Piano Hero” (2011) Sony Masterworks “Chopin: The Piano Concertos” (2008) Deutsche Grammophon “Lang Lang: Memory by Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Schumann and Lang Lang” (2006) Deutsche Grammophon “The Magic Of Lang Lang” (2008) Deutsche Grammophon “Best of Lang Lang” (2008) Deutsche Grammophon Anna Larsen h p://www.cdbaby.com/cd/annalarsen

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Local Organiza ons Presen ng Classical Piano/Music Concerts Cal Performances: h p://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/ University of California, Berkeley Department of Music: h p://events.berkeley.edu/index.php/calendar/sn/music.html Berkeley Symphony: h p://www.berkeleysymphony.org/ Oakland East Bay Symphony: h p://oebs.org/ San Francisco Symphony: h p://www.sfsymphony.org/ San Francisco Performances: h p://performances.org/ Piedmont Piano: h p://piedmontpiano.com/Webpages/11concertpage.html

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7

Glossary

chamber music – Music wri en to be performed by a small group of players, each on an individual part. Chamber music gets its name from the fact that it was originally meant to be played in a smaller space, like the music room of a palace, or a private home. choir – a group of singers who perform together. compose – to create and write a piece of music. conductor – leader of the orchestra or chorus who makes sure that everyone is playing or singing the right thing, in the right way, at the right me. The conductor stands in front of the group and directs them throughout the performance. concerto – an instrumental composi on wri en for one or more solo performers accompanied by an orchestra. conservatory – a school of music or drama c art. damper – a device in stringed keyboard instruments to deaden the vibra on of the strings. étude – French for “study.” A piece of music originally intended to help one prac ce an instrument. fantasy – a piece of music composed without following a strict form. fugue – a composi on with two or more voices or parts, in which the melody (called the subject), is played by one voice/part and then replayed and modified by the other voices/parts. There are usually from two to five voices or parts. gospel music – a spiritual music based on AfricanAmerican folk music, marked by strong rhythms and elaborated refrains, and incorpora ng elements of spirituals, blues, and jazz.

harpsichord – a keyboard instrument that was an ancestor of the piano, in common use from the 16th to the 18th century, and revived in the 20th. When the keys are pressed, the strings are plucked by leather or quill points connected with the keys. Because of this, it is nearly impossible to make changes in dynamics playing the harpsichord. impromptu – a short piece of instrumental music whose style gives an impression of improvisa on, a highly developed and popular form in the 19th century. jazz – American-born music that uses syncopa on, altered scales, specific harmonies, and improvisa on. keyboard – the levers on a piano or organ that the player pushes down to produce pitches. mazurka – a Polish dance in 3/4 me. modula on – a transi on from one key to another. note – a musical sound or the symbol used to write it down. oeuvre - the total output of a writer, composer, painter, etc. orchestra – a group of instrumentalists organized to perform music together. The sec ons of the modern orchestra include instruments in the string, brass, woodwind, and percussion families. orchestrate – to arrange a composi on for performance by an orchestra. percussion instrument – instruments that are played by being struck. Examples of percussion instruments are drums, cymbals, maracas, xylophone, and even the piano.

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Harpsichod

Spinet

Studio Upright

pitch – the highness or lowness of a musical tone.

spinet – a small upright piano.

polonaise – a stately Polish dance in 3/4 me, originally performed for court processions and ceremonies.

stringed instrument – a musical instrument having strings as the medium of sound produc on, played with the fingers or with a plectrum or a bow. The guitar, the harp, and the violin are stringed instruments.

prelude – a musical introduc on. Organ preludes o en introduce church services; instrumental preludes can introduce operas or suites. rag me – American dance music with AfricanAmerican roots, popular in the early 20th century. Rag me music is syncopated, the accents in the melody are shi ed away from the strong beats in the bass line underneath. recital – a public performance, especially by a solo performer. repertoire – all the music a musician has prepared to perform. rhapsody – a free-form composi on in which different melodies are strung together. Greek for “songs s tched together.” rhythm – the pa erns of me and beats in music. scherzo – a fun, playful piece of music named for the Italian word for joke. solo – a performance by a single singer or instrumentalist. sonata – a piece of music wri en for a solo instrument, or a solo instrument with accompaniment, having three or four movements, each complete in itself. soundboard – a thin plate of wood or a stretched membrane lying directly under the strings of a stringed musical instrument. It vibrates in response to the vibra ons of the strings, amplifying the faint sound produced by the string alone. 18 |

Zither

symphonic poem –descrip ve music for symphony orchestra: an extended piece of music that is based on a literary, ar s c, or ideological theme such as a folktale or landscape mbre – the characteris c quality or color of sound that makes one voice or instrument different from another. tonal – rela ng to the quality, pitch, strength, dura on, etc. of a sound transcrip on – an arrangement of a piece of music for an instrument or voice other than the one for which it was originally wri en transpose – to write or perform a piece of music in a key other than the one in which it is wri en tremolo – Italian for “trembling”; very fast repe on of a note virtuoso – a performer who is a master of musical technique and ar stry waltz – the music for a ballroom dance in 3/4 me that became very popular in 19th century Austria. zither – a musical instrument, consis ng of a flat sounding box with numerous strings stretched over it, that is placed on a horizontal surface and played with a plectrum and the finger ps

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California State Standards

Music Grades K-12

Role of Music

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION

3.1 Describe the social func ons of a variety of musical forms from various cultures and me periods (e.g., folk songs, dances).

Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Informa on Through the Language and Skills Unique to Music Students read, notate, listen to, analyze, and describe music and other aural informa on, using the terminology of music.

Diversity of Music 3.2 Iden fy different or similar uses of musical element sin music from diverse cultures.

2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION

3.4 Describe the influence of various cultures and historical events on musical forms and styles.

Crea ng, Performing, and Par cipa ng in Music

4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING

Students apply vocal and instrumental musical skills in performing a varied repertoire of music. They compose and arrange music and improvise melodies, varia ons, and accompaniments, using digital/electronic technology when appropriate.

Responding to, Analyzing and Making Judgments about Works of Music

3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

Students cri cally asses and derive meaning from works of music and the performance of music, the elements of music, and original works according to the elements of music.

Understanding the Historical Contribu ons and Cultural Dimensions of Music Students analyze the role of music in past and present cultures throughout the world, no ng cultural diversity as it relates to music, musicians, and composers.

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Cal Performances thanks the following donors for their gifts in support of our Education and Community Programs:

About Cal Performances and SchoolTime

Anonymous Bank of America Jesse and Laren Brill Richard Buxbaum and Catherine Hartshorn Earl and June Cheit Nancy and Gordon Douglass Deborah Duncan and Mr. Barnett Lipton Karin Evans and Charles Mark Humbert The Fremont Group Foundation The Robert J. and Helen H. Glaser Family Foundation Alex and Eva Glazer Jane Gottesman and Geoffrey Biddle Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund Beth Hurwich Kaiser Permanente Kennedy Center Partners in Education Carol Nusinow Kurland and Duff Kurland Ms. Germaine LaBerge Sally Landis and Michael White Susan Marinoff and Thomas Schrag The Hare Family Maris Meyerson Rachel Morello-Frosch Carol and Joe Neil Eddie and Amy Orton Kenneth and Frances Reid Gail and Daniel Rubinfeld Linda and Will Schieber William A. Settles Fund for AileyCamp Warren Sharp and Louise Laufersweiler Barclay and Sharon Simpson Markus and Barbara Trice Carol Jackson Upshaw Wells Fargo Zellerbach Family Foundation

The mission of Cal Performances is to inspire, nurture and sustain a lifelong appreciation for the performing arts. Cal Performances, the performing arts presenter of the University of California, Berkeley, fulfills this mission by presenting, producing and commissioning outstanding artists, both renowned and emerging, to serve the University and the broader public through performances and education and community programs. Cal Performances celebrates over 100 years on the UC Berkeley Campus.

Lead Community Partner:

For information on supporting our Education and Community Programs, contact, Eric Stensvaag at 510.643.6705 or email [email protected].

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Our SchoolTime program cultivates an early appreciation for and understanding of the performing arts amongst our youngest audiences, with hour-long, daytime performances by the same world-class artists who perform as part of the main season. SchoolTime has become an integral part of the academic year for teachers and students throughout the Bay Area.

This Cal Performances SchoolTime Study Guide was wri en, edited and designed by Laura Abrams, Rica Anderson and Nicole Anthony. Copyright © 2011 Cal Performances